CHAPTER ONE

POTABLE WATER

The immediate past administration credited to itself monumental achievements in the area of provision of urban and rural water in the State.  This claim was anchored by some bodies that even went ahead and presented awards to the Governor at elaborate ceremonies.  By these awards, it was thought by the people of Nigeria and Kogites in diaspora that the Government had adequately addressed the water needs of the people.

Alhaji Ibrahim Idris on assumption of office realized that the award of excellence in the area of provision of water was a smokes creen and  a charade.

The Lokoja water works supplied Four hundred thousand liters of water to the people of the metropolitan city as against its requirement of about ten million liters daily.  There was no stock of chemicals at the water board and diesel which is an essential product in propelling the generating sets was purchased in mere drums for  use.  Most of the facilities used by the Board had broken down and those in the Local Government Area were nothing to write home about.  Contrary to the claim of the last administration and the organizers of award of excellence for provision of urban and rural water, the water situation was inadequate and Kogites across the State sourced for water from streams and stagnant pool of water.   Taps had not run for more than ten years in some parts of Lokoja metropolis and the reticulated part covered about one tenth of the city.

Alhaji Ibrahim Idris took the bull by the horn in his determination to provide water to the teeming population of the capital city and the Local Government Areas.  Within two month of assumption of duties, he provided the sum of N10. million to the Water Board for procurement of chemical and also facilitated regular supply of diesel .  Within one year of the life of the administration of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, the Lokoja Water Board was able to generate two million gallons of water for use of the inhabitants of the metropolitan city.

The government aggressively pursued  the issue of supply of water to the people of the State by embarking on the provision of packaged water treatment plants, motorized boreholes and drilling of hand pump boreholes.

The water sector in the State has transformed within three years of the life of this administration to the extent that all the Local Government Areas of the State have packaged treatment plant,  motorized borehole or surface water scheme.

All the water scheme that broke down have been rehabilitated and the pipe network in Lokoja, Idah, Okene and Ejule expanded.

It is to be noted that the UNICEF and Directorate of Rural Development were also charged with the responsibility of providing water for the people when Government discovered that the State Ministry of Water Resources and Water Board could not handle the water problems of the State.  There was the crying need for proactive steps to be taken in view of the fact that all the Local Government Areas of the State had no portable water for consumption.

Chemicals and sufficient diesel are sent to all the outlets and so far a total sum of N115,663,902 has been spent for procurement of water chemicals.  The aggressive water policy of the State Government has yielded positive results as the people of the State now have access to portable drinking water.

It must be stated that a lot still need to be done in the water sector and the Government is ever determined to respond to the cry of the people.